Failing Acoustic Tiles on USS Virginia
Aren’t all submarines supposed to be stealthy? I suppose some are stealthier than others. The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong is reporting concerns by China’s neighbors that China may have already built a stealth submarine. On the other side of the world, the acoustic urethane tiles on the US Navy’s Virginia Class attack submarines have been flaking off at sea. The tiles are believed to dampen sound from the subs and make them more “stealthy,” at least until they fall off.
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One of the largest port complexes in the US has been shut down since Sunday morning after a barge accident almost knocked a high voltage tower into the Houston Ship Channel. Over thirty ships have been blocked by the shut down of the ship channel. An economic loss of almost $1 billion is estimated to result from the shutdown. The ship channel is not expected to open until at least Tuesday night.
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This week 1,000 Royal Navy Medical Officer Journals were made available to the public at the British National Archives in Kew. The journals are revealing, if often disturbing by modern standards. From drunken mutinies to disease outbreaks to a walrus attack, the journals paint a colorful picture of 18th- and 19th-century ship life.
